Process for producing brake-shoe keys.



H. C. OSTERBIND.

21, 1912. 1,065,267, Patented June 17,1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

H. C. OSTERBIND.

Patented June 17, 1913.

HENRY C. OSTERBIND, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING BRAKE-SHOE KEYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Application filed August 21, 1912. Serial No. 716,248'.

To ail I11i/toml 1?' may concern Be it known that I, HENRY CARTER OSTER-Bixn, a citizen of the TJnited States, residing at Richmond, in thecounty of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Producing Brake-Shoe Keys, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This inventio-n relates to processes for producing brake shoe keys andthe object of the invention is to construct these keys cheaply andexpeditiously.

Heretofore, the keys have been made by hammering the keys with a taperboth laterally and longitudinally after they have been severed intorequired lengths. This operation was not only a tedious one but the keyswere not uniform in size or taper.

It is the object of this invention to avoid the diiiiculties common inprevious processes of producing these keys and, broadly speaking,consists in constructing the keys in duplicate from straight lengths ofbar steel or iron by first tapering the bar longitudinally toward bothends, then forming the bar into staple form, and tapering the ends orlegs longitudinally and at right angles to the taper first given andfinally curving the legs to conform to the brake shoe and simultaneouslysevering` the staple in the centerl so as to produce two independentwedges of corresponding outline.

In the drawings, which form a part of this invention, Figure l is aperspective view of the bar used in producing the keys. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of a modified form of bar. Fig. 3 is an end view of the barbet-Ween the shaping rolls. Fig. e is a central vertical section throughFig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the bar after being formed. Fig.6 is a sectional view of the same. Figs. 7 and S are plan views showingthe manner of bending the bar into staple form and tapering the endsthereof. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through Fig. 8. Fig. 10 isa side elevation of the staple formed. Fig. ll is a side elevation ofthe same. Figs. l2 and 18 are views showing the manner of curving thelegs of the staple and severing the said staple into two parts. Fig. 14is a perspective view of a staple formed from the bar, as shown in Fig.l. Fig. l5 is a similar view of a staple formed from the bar shown inFig. Q.

In carrying out this process, I take a length of bar l which isrectangular in cross section and pass the same through forming rolls 2which are provided with eccentric grooves 3 rounded in cross section soas to form a rod with curved upper and lower edges, as shown in Figs. 3and 6. The grooves 3 being of greater depth at one postOn upon the rollthan at the opposite position and being caused to travel at equal speedsin any suitable manner produce a rod such as is shown in Fig. 5 fromwhich separate lengths may be cut upon the lines a; so as to obtainstaple lengths tapered from the center toward both ends. In order toform this rodv into staple formation, there is provided separated dierollers 4L having grooves 5 formed in their peripheries. The rod orstrip is placed with one of its sides against the base or bottom of thegrooves 5 of each roller and with its ends extending equal distance onopposite sides of' a center point between said rollers. A suitableplunger is then engaged with the center of the strip or bar and the sameis forced between the rollers so as to produce the staple, as shown inFig. S. The plunger in this instance is shown to be a straight bar ofsteel or other similar material 6 having ribs 7 projecting from itsside, which are inclined or tapered from the end toward the end of theplunger. The width of the bar 6 is practically of the same dimensions asthe width of the space between the peripheries of the rolls t, while thewidth of the plunger including' the ribs is practically the samedimension as the distance between the bases of the grooves of eachroller, the ribs being tapered ott in order that the metal in the legsof the staple will be displaced and drawn out in the fo-rm shown in Fig.10. In this stage, the strip is so formed of an ordinary staple withlegs that taper in two directions, as shown in Figs. l0 and ll, thewidth of the legs at the top or yoke portion of the staple beingapproximately seveneighths of an inch, while the width of the end of thelegs is only approximately threequarters of an inch. The thickness ofthe legs at the upper or yoke end of the staple will be approximatelyseven-sixteenths of an inch, while the lower or terminal ends of thelegs will be approximately one-eighth of an inch. The staple is no-wtaken and placed in a die 8 having flaring sides 9 and a plunger 10 isinserted between the legs of the staple and corresponds with the sidesof the die, as shown. Vhen this plunger is forced into position betweenthe legs of the staple, the said legs will be bent to the position shownin Fig. 13 and in order to consolidate the operations, the plunger 10carries a knife 11 which severs the staple immediately in the center 0fthe yoke portion, thus leaving a driving head 12 on each section. Theprocess for producing keys shown in Fig. 15 out of the hars shown inFig. 5 follows the process just described and the key is in every waythe saine when completed except that its upper portion is considerablylightened by the groove therein which is merged into or obliterated inthe end of the device by the drawing out process before described.

lt will be noticed that in the first step of the operation, a pluralityof bars are formed in a continuous operation, that is, one long bar isdrawn out into the form shown in Fig. and cut ofi at the points m-:rinto several sections. It will be also noticed that there are only threeoperations or steps in the process to complete the article, giving thearticle the proper taper in both directions, producing the head, andcurving the saine to iit the brake shoe. Prior to drawing out the barsor sections into staple forni, the ends of the bars or sections have awidth approximately the saine dimensions as the thickness of the bar.The drawing of the sections into staples, as shown in Figs. 7 to l0, notonly tapers the legs, as shown, but also slightly increases the width ofthe ends so that when the staple is complete, the

width of the ends is only about one-eighth of an inch less than thewidth of the staple at the yoke portion thereof.

l hat is claimed is 1. The process of forming brake shoe keys whichconsists in tapering the bar from the center toward both ends in adirection of its width, simultaneously forming said bar into a staple,and tapering the legs thereof in a direction of their thickness, curvingthe legs of the staple outwardly in opposite directions, and finallysevering the staple centrally of the connecting portion of the legs.

2. rlhe method o-f forming brake shoe keys which consists in forming astaple tapered toward the end of its legs in a direction of its width,and simultaneously tapering the legs toward the ends in a direction atright angles to the original taper.

3. The process of forming brake shoe keys which consists in tapering thebar toward both ends in the direction of its width and simultaneouslyrounding the edges thereof, forming the bar into staple forni, and sininultaneously tapering the legs of the staple in the direction of theirthickness, and simultaneously spreading the legs on a curve,

and severing the staple into equal parts.

ln testimony whereof l aiiix iny signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. OSTERBIND. lllitnesses E. F. SCHMIDT, H. LAURIE SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C."

